MW 5

Dohae’s steps were urgent as he left the bar and headed for the school. He had warned him so clearly not to wander around outside, but it seemed that bastard, Seo Yijae, had crawled out like a rat in that short time.

Seo Yijae was still of great use. That’s why it would be a problem if he died. There was still so much to exploit. Dohae headed toward the school, worried that something might have gone wrong. Of course, he wasn’t worried about Seo Yijae, but about himself.

He couldn’t drive because he had been drinking. Fortunately, the school wasn’t far from the bar, yet he was furious to the tips of his hair that he had to go through this trouble on such a cold winter day because of that bastard.

“You’re dead, Seo Yijae.”

Clenching his teeth against the chilly air seeping into his coat, Dohae entered the alley that led to the school. Perhaps because a cold wave advisory had been issued, the streets, which had become quiet since the vacation started, were even more deserted today. Who the hell did he think he was to make him come all this way.

As time passed, Dohae’s emotions grew, and the corners of his mouth trembled. After walking for a while, just as Kim Yoonchae had said, he passed the school’s main gate and entered the alley, where the faint scent of apples wafted on the winter wind. In a shaded spot, he saw Seo Yijae collapsed, his outerwear half-torn.

“Ha. So it was real.”

His hair and clothes were a mess, as if he had fought back to the end even while being beaten to a pulp. Looking at Seo Yijae lying motionless like a dead man, Dohae called out to him in a cold voice.

“Hey.”

Is he dead? No. If he were, his pheromones wouldn’t be wafting out in the first place. With a frigid expression, Dohae pressed his foot down on Yijae’s shoulder. The motionless body trembled slightly, and Yijae, finally regaining consciousness, let out a faint groan into the air.

“Ugh……”

“Stop the bullshit and get up.”

“Hh……”

“Ha, this fucking, useless bastard. Where do you think you’re putting on a show.”

Dohae’s fine brow furrowed at the sight of him flinching and letting out disgusting groans. He squatted in front of Yijae and grabbed a fistful of his hair viciously. His rough grip continued as if he would pull out all his hair. A moment later, Dohae checked the nape of Yijae’s neck.

Rip, under the carelessly torn-off tape, red, wounded skin was revealed. Fortunately, it seemed there was no problem with the pheromone gland. Yijae, still suffering from the aftereffects of the procedure from earlier in the day, struggled to even his breathing, exhaling hot breaths. When Yijae’s breath touched the back of his hand, Dohae roughly let go of his head.

“Disgusting.”

Dohae rubbed harshly at the spot where Yijae’s breath had touched. Yijae, thrashing from the pain in his head, slowly lifted his eyelids, trying to identify the person standing before him.

“Hey. Why are you here.”

Finally realizing it was Dohae, Yijae flinched and lowered his head with a horrified expression, as if he had seen a ghost.

“Fuck, why are you lying here instead of being at home!”

Annoyed by Yijae’s expression, Dohae violently struck his already dark red, swollen cheek. Goosebumps rose on his skin where it made contact with Yijae’s flesh. But the way he bit his lip tight was so amusing he couldn’t stop. With a bitter smile, he slapped Yijae’s cheek a few more times before speaking.

“You want to die, don’t you.”

“……I’m, I’m sorry……. Cough.”

Spitting blood from his mouth, Yijae apologized with a startled look on his face. He was terrified of when Dohae’s hand, raised high into the air again, would strike him. Yijae curled up as small as he could and began to beg for forgiveness, trembling. His body hurt so much, perhaps because he was being hit again right after being beaten by a strange man. He hated being in pain so much.

“I’m sorry. I’ll never, never do it again. I’m sorry, Dohae……. Sob.”

“Are you in your right mind? I let you off once because you begged me to send you to college, and now you think the world is yours?”

Dohae’s fingers, clutching Yijae’s hair, turned white from the lack of blood flow. Yijae felt the pain, his lips trembling. Suppressing a groan, he bit his lower lip hard enough to draw blood.

“Why are you outside when you should be at home. This isn’t the first or second time you’ve snuck out like this, is it?”

“No, it’s not. This is the first time. Really. I, I was wrong. Please forgive me just this once.”

Dohae mercilessly slapped away Yijae’s hand as he knelt and grabbed his trouser leg. Then, grabbing Yijae’s hair again, he spoke with a bitter smile.

“Alright. If you wanted a tour of the school that badly, you can have your fill today.”

“Ugh, Do, Dohae……!”

Dohae kicked Yijae in the stomach a few times as he whimpered in pain from his pulled hair. It seemed he had completely passed out.

Finally satisfied by the sight of Yijae, who had gone quiet as if dead, Dohae took out his phone and made a call somewhere. Faint bloodstains spread on the ground where he moved, but fresh white snow covered them again, and Yijae’s pain seeped into the cold earth.

“Hey, how long are you gonna fucking sleep. Shit, you’re so heavy.”

Arriving at the back of the school, Dohae woke the fainted Yijae by pressing his foot on his cheek. Yijae, his brow twitching, finally sat up at the throbbing pain and looked around. It was too dark, as the sun had set and the moon was hidden behind the clouds. All he could see was Dohae’s terrifying face in the faint light.

“Go in.”

Dohae turned on his phone and pointed with his fingertip. Yijae didn’t know where Dohae was pointing, but he had an uneasy feeling that if he went in there, he wouldn’t be able to get out easily.

“Sob, I, I was wrong. I was wrong, Dohae……. Ugh.”

“Shut the fuck up. You said you wanted to go to school so badly. Why are you making a fuss when I’m being nice enough to give you a tour.”

Yijae swallowed his bursting tears and begged, grabbing Dohae’s ankle. But his pleas were in vain as Dohae kicked his shoulder and shouted.

“This bastard! Are you not going in?”

“Do, Dohae……. Hh, p-please.”

“You can go in. Or you can get beaten until you die. You choose.”

“Hhh……. I’ll, sob, go in……”

There was nowhere left to retreat. He knew well that there was no one to help him even if he screamed and cried here. Left with no choice, Yijae got up on his trembling legs and slowly started walking.

“Sob……”

With every step, it felt like his entire body was screaming, and his vision went white. But more than anything, he was terrified of what Dohae might do to him. He was also scared of the place where he couldn’t see ahead. He hated dark places. He was anxious that Dohae might abandon him forever.

“Hey, you let out your pheromones at Kim Yoonchae earlier, didn’t you?”

Kim Yoonchae? At the mention of letting out his pheromones, Yijae momentarily recalled what had happened just a while ago. How does Dohae know that man? More importantly, he hadn’t released his pheromones on purpose. He could swear to the heavens it wasn’t for ‘that’ kind of reason with an alpha, as Dohae was thinking.

“N-no. Really……”

He hadn’t even thought his pheromone scent would be noticeable. If it was an excuse, it was that his pheromone control was difficult on days he went to the hospital. Still, he had never expected them to spread outside…….

“You fucking slut.”

His heart ached at the way Dohae looked down on him as if he were filth.

“Do, Dohae……”

“Hey, if you open your mouth one more time, I’ll call Kim Yoonchae. That bastard was disappointed he couldn’t fuck you. If you’ve changed your mind, go ahead and open it now.”

At Dohae’s words, the face of the man who tried to rape him moments ago flashed through his mind. Recalling the look in his eyes, Yijae covered his mouth. He continued to follow Dohae, who was walking down the pitch-dark hallway.

He relied on the faint light from Dohae’s phone as he led the way, surveying the surroundings. Tools were scattered about haphazardly. Where on earth is this? As if reading Yijae’s thoughts, Dohae turned around, a smirk curling his lips as he stopped walking. It was a bad sign. Whenever Dohae smiled like that, something bad always happened.

“Ugh!”

Dohae kicked his scraped knee, and Yijae’s body fell forward onto the floor. Dohae stared down at him blankly, then picked up a rope lying nearby and slowly tied Yijae’s hands and legs.

“Do, Dohae……?”

“Fuck, I told you not to open your mouth.”

“D-don’t. I’m begging you, please.”

“Yeah, I’m begging you too. Shut up and stay still. Before I fucking kill you.”

Meeting those icy eyes, Yijae instinctively knew that he meant it. Dohae looked down at him as he backed away in fear, then ran a hand through his messy hair and clenched his fist tightly.

“Ugh……. Hmph!”

Dohae swung his fists relentlessly at Yijae’s already battered body. After taking out his anger for a long while by stomping on and hitting Yijae’s face and entire body, Dohae, breathing heavily, picked up a roll of duct tape.

Riiip.

With an unpleasant sound, Dohae placed a long strip of duct tape over Yijae’s lips. He had discovered this building by chance and sometimes drank here with his friends, but he never thought he’d use it like this. The construction wasn’t finished yet, and since tomorrow was the start of the weekend, it was certain no one would come until Monday.

“It’s your fault. I told you not to open your mouth, Yijae.”

Dohae’s lips curled upwards as he spoke. He hummed a tune that came naturally, his hands moving busily.

“Sob……”

With his hands and feet tied and his mouth covered, Yijae became terrified at the thought that he might actually die if this continued.

“Mmm, mmph!”

But no matter how he called Dohae’s name and screamed, no sound escaped past the tough tape. Pleased with Yijae’s state, Dohae grinned and nodded.

“It’s so much better when it’s quiet.”